Ground effect model

ABSTRACT

This present invention provides an unconventional and proprietary flying “ground effect vehicle” or model. This vehicle features thrust propellers that generate airflow. The airflow is directed to the bottom of vehicle causing it to rise completely off the ground surface and as the airflow increases it is directed rearward so as to achieve and sustain forward “ground effect” flight. This type of flight effect occurs near the ground surface as the vehicle flies on a cushion of air that is generated between the ground surface and underside of the vehicle body with or without auxiliary horizontal stabilizers.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Ser. No.61/305,268 filed on Feb. 17, 2010.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to remote control models, and moreparticularly to remote controlled ground effect model.

2. Related Technology

Conventional hovercrafts or air cushion vehicles are known as “vehicleswhich are able to lift up, hover just above the ground surface and moveforward.” In order to hover or glide over the ground, these vehiclesmust reduce the drag from friction caused by contact with the groundsurface as much as possible. Those types of vehicles, which aregenerally referred to as “hovercrafts,” generate airflow by propeller orfan and direct airflow evenly out from a gap between the bottom of thevehicle or skirt underneath vehicle and surface of the ground or water.However, this application still puts a portion of vehicle or skirtunderneath into contact with surface of the ground or water. As aresult, hovercrafts are easily caught or stuck on the ground when theyencounter any surface protrusions, however small they may be. Also,hovercrafts can become easily stuck when they encounter any hollow orporous surfaces such as ditches, lawns or grasses. Those rougherterrains result in excess amount of air leakage from under the vehicle(or skirt) so overall friction drag is increased which results inslowing the vehicle down or stopping it altogether.

SUMMARY

According to an implementation of the invention, the ground effect modelincludes a body having a front, a back, sides, a top and a bottom, atleast one air duct having an inlet at the front of the body and anoutlet positioned at the bottom of the body, at least one propellerpositioned in the at least one air duct at the inlet to selectivelyincrease air flow through the air duct from the inlet to the outlet, andat least one motor connected to the at least one propeller.

According to another implementation, the ground effect model isconfigured to fly over a ground surface and includes a body having afront, a back, sides, a top and a bottom, a first air duct having an airinlet at the front of the body and an air outlet positioned at thebottom of the body, a second air duct adjacent said first air duct andbeing separated there from by a wall, said second air duct having an airinlet at the front of the body and an air outlet positioned at thebottom of the body, a first propeller positioned in the first air duct;a second propeller positioned in the second air duct, a first motorconnected to the first propeller; a second motor connected to the secondpropeller, a first skirt positioned on the bottom of the body along anouter side of the air outlet of the first air duct opposite the wall, asecond skirt position on the bottom of the body along an outer side ofthe air outlet of the second air duct opposite the wall, radio controlelectronics and a battery power source positioned on the body andconnected to the first and second motors to allow independent wirelessoperation of the first and second motors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals denote similarcomponents throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is top left side perspective view of the ground effect modelaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is bottom right perspective view of the ground effect modelaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the ground effect model showing the airflow there through according to one operable state of the same;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the ground effect model showing the airflow there through according to a second operable state of the same; and

FIG. 5 is front view of the ground effect model according to anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The term “ground effect” flying vehicle or model, as referred to herein,is a vehicle or model capable of flying over the ground surface, yetutilizes the ground surface to maintain the desired ground flyingeffect.

In operation, the vehicle first rises and achieves “ground effect” andsecondly builds thrust to move forward by subsequent airflow in therearward direction. The vectoring of the airflow to the bottom of thevehicle at start up (for lifting) and then vectoring immediately to therear (for propulsion) is handled by proprietary hinged/pivoting flapsplaced behind the propellers that operate passively as pressurized airor thrust flow over them. When a different rotational speed is selectedfor either left or right propeller, it creates a difference in thrustbetween left and right propellers thereby allowing the vehicle turn leftor right freely. The vehicle is preferably designed to be as lightweightas possible to enhance performance and achieve “ground effect” flightmore readily.

In accordance with one exemplary implementation, the ground effect isachieved by a model having two propellers at left and right sides asdescribed below, however, those of skill in the art will appreciate thatthe same effect can be also achieved by a vehicle with a singlecentrally located propeller which turns left or right by rudder.Additionally, a vehicle with more than two propellers can achieve thesame effect.

In accordance with one implementation of the invention, two thrustpropellers can be installed diagonally in relation to the longitudinalcenter line of the vehicle so that propeller-generated airflow can bedirected diagonally downward. The airflow can be channeled to the groundefficiently by the shape and configuration of vehicle body, so that thedesired “ground effect” can be generated by increasing the air pressurebetween the vehicle body and the ground surface.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle or model 10 consists of a body12, motors 24, gears 26, propellers 22, RX PCB (receiver or printedcircuit board) 28, battery 30 and skirts 16. The body 10 is preferablydesigned for efficient airflow to the ground and subsequent airflow inthe rearward direction. The body 12 has a rear wing assembly which canconsist of two vertical fins and a horizontal wing. The body 12 may alsoinclude auxiliary horizontal stabilizers 18 at each side. Left and rightmotors 24 a and 24 b, control the rotational speed of the respectivepropellers 22 a and 22 b, for thrust. The motors 24 a and 24 b, and thethrust they generate via propellers 22 a and 22 b, respectively, can beindividually controlled by radio control (RC) or infrared rays (IR)using stepped or infinitely stepped proportional control. Furthermore,the rotational speed of the motors 24 a and 24 b can be reduced by gears26 a and 26 b, respectively, to make the propellers 22 a and 22 b, turnmore efficiently. In a preferred implementation, the configuration ofleft and right propellers 22 a and 22 b, respectively, should besymmetric, and preferably counter rotate with respect to each other inorder to cancel or eliminate an adverse “torque steer” condition.

When a different rotational speed is selected for either the left orright propeller 22 a or 22 b, respectively, the vehicle can be turnedeither to the left or to the right. Those of skill in the art willappreciate that differences in the rotational speeds of the left andright propeller will change the rotation radius of the model. Forexample, the larger the difference of the rotational speed between leftand right propellers, the shorter the turning radius of the model willbe, and vice versa. That is, the smaller the difference of therotational speed between left and right propellers, the greater theturning radius of the model will be. Left and right air ducts, 21 a and21 b (See FIG. 2) in the body 12 are preferably completely separatedfrom each other by a wall 40, so air pressure in either duct ismaintained, at their different respective levels, even in the event thateither motor is stalled.

As shown in FIG. 3, according to one embodiment pivoting flaps 32 arelocated just behind each of the propellers 22 inside the respective airduct 21 of the body. The pivoting flaps 32 are passively held down bygravity or by a spring biasing of the same when the propellers are notgenerating sufficient thrust. Rotation of the two propellers 22 a and 22b at the frontal area of the body pulls air into the body ducts 21 a and21 b. As shown in FIG. 3, upon start up of the propeller rotation,inhaled air is steered by the downwardly directed pivoting flaps 32 andthereby directed toward the bottom (represented by lines A1, A2). Thisairflow pushes against the ground surface G to force the frontal area ofthe body 12 to rise up as air pressure builds under the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 4, and in accordance with the increasing flow of airresulting from increased speed of the propellers 22, the pivoting flaps32 are pushed up by air pressure, such that the angle of the flapsbecomes almost to parallel with respect to airflow A1, A2, and A3through the ducts 21. In this position, airflow can be diverted to rearof the model and thereby turned into strong thrust force. Theincremental velocity gain of the vehicle, will enable constant flyingnear the ground surface to be achieved. This ground effect flying can befurther enhanced and/or stabilized when the rear wing assembly 14 and/orauxiliary horizontal stabilizers 18 are added to the body 12.

According to an alternative embodiment, the pivoting flaps 32 areremoved completely from the model. With sufficient air pressure in therespective air ducts 21 a, 21 b as generated by propellers 22 a, 22 b,the model can still operate as described above. The pivoting flaps 32assist with the initial lift and flight in ground effect, but are notrequired for operation of the model.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, skirts 16 can be added to the underside of thebody 12 such that they are positioned adjacent the output of therespective air ducts 21. Skirts 16 are preferably made of flexiblematerial and assist to prevent air leakage from both sides of the bodyinitially as the vehicle rises at start up. As a result, the skirts 16effectively operate to increase air pressure near the ground bycontaining the air enough to force the body to rise up. The skirts 16also maintain air pressurization under the vehicle during “groundeffect” flight. As shown in FIG. 5, the air effect resulting from thepositioning and inward configuration of the skirts 16 is such that themodel can fly over the ground G without physically touching the same.

It is important to note that skirts 16 enhance flight over the groundsurface by maintaining positive pressure area under the vehicle.However, in alternative implementations, skirts 16 are removedcompletely from the model. When there is sufficient air pressure in therespective air ducts 21 a, 21 b as generated by propellers 22 a, 22 b,the model can still operate as described above without skirts 16.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novelfeatures of the present principles, it will be understood that variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of themethods described and devices illustrated, and in their operation, maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe same. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations ofthose elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the samefunction in substantially the same way to achieve the same results arewithin the scope of the present principles. Moreover, it should berecognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shownand/or described in connection with any disclosed form or implementationof the present principles may be incorporated in any other disclosed,described or suggested form or implementation as a general matter ofdesign choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only asindicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

1. A ground effect model comprising: a body having a front, a back,sides, a top and a bottom; at least one air duct having an inlet at thefront of the body and an outlet positioned at the bottom of the body; atleast one propeller positioned in the at least one air duct at the inletto selectively increase air flow through the air duct from the inlet tothe outlet; at least one motor connected to the at least one propeller.2. The ground effect model according to claim 1, further comprising: atleast one skirt positioned along the outlet of said at least one airduct and configured to prevent air leakage from the sides of the bodyand thereby increase air pressure near a ground surface over which themodel flies.
 3. The ground effect model according to claim 1, furthercomprising: radio control electronics and a battery power sourcepositioned on the body and connected to the at least one motor to allowwireless operation of the ground effect model.
 4. The ground effectmodel according to claim 3, further comprising at least one pivotingflap positioned in the at least one air duct and behind the at least onepropeller, the at least one pivoting flap being initially positioned todirect air downward toward a ground surface upon initial activation ofthe at least one motor and at least one propeller, and as air pressurein the at least one air duct increases, said at least one pivoting flappivoting so as to be substantially parallel with the airflow through theair duct thereby diverting air toward the rear of the body for thrust.5. The ground effect model according to claim 1, further comprising arear wing assembly positioned at the back of the body, said rear wingassembly providing balancing control of the model during ground effectflight.
 6. The ground effect model according to claim 1, furthercomprising horizontal stabilizer wings on each side of the body and forproviding lateral stabilization of the model during ground effectflight.
 7. The ground effect model according to claim 1, wherein said atleast one air duct comprises two air ducts, said at least one propellercomprises two propellers, one for each air duct; and said at least onemotor comprises two motors, one for each of said two propellers.
 8. Theground effect model according to claim 1, further comprising gearingconnecting said at least one motor to said at least one propeller.
 9. Aground effect model configured to fly over a ground surface, the groundeffect model comprising: a body having a front, a back, sides, a top anda bottom; a first air duct having an air inlet at the front of the bodyand an air outlet positioned at the bottom of the body; a second airduct adjacent said first air duct and being separated there from by awall, said second air duct having an air inlet at the front of the bodyand an air outlet positioned at the bottom of the body; a firstpropeller positioned in the first air duct; a second propellerpositioned in the second air duct; a first motor connected to the firstpropeller; a second motor connected to the second propeller; a firstskirt positioned on the bottom of the body along an outer side of theair outlet of the first air duct opposite the wall; a second skirtposition on the bottom of the body along an outer side of the air outletof the second air duct opposite the wall; radio control electronics anda battery power source positioned on the body and connected to the firstand second motors to allow independent wireless operation of the firstand second motors.
 10. The ground effect model of claim 9, furthercomprising a pivoting flap positioned in each of the first and secondair ducts, the pivoting flap being passively positioned to direct airdownward toward a ground surface upon initial activation of the firstand second propeller via first and second motors, respectively, toincrease airflow against the ground surface and force the model to beraised from the ground surface.
 11. The ground effect surface model ofclaim 10, wherein as air pressure increases in the air ducts as a resultof increased propeller speed, the pivoting flap pivots so as to besubstantially parallel with the airflow through the air duct therebydiverting air toward the rear of the body for thrust.